Great story.........sounds like a cool ride.
In high school, my buddy had a 68' long box. 350, camaro 4spd, chrome smoothie wheels and flat black...........before flat black was cool. That's when I decided I want one too. It was just a cool truck when you're 18.......wish I could've bought it but she ended up in the local scrap yard after he "General Lee'd" it.
I bought mine just after that. I never had the cash to finish it the way I wanted. Got in a fight with my first wife and backed a set of 38" tires on to the hood of her Buick Regal. I guess I earned that divorce. LMAO
20 yrs later, 3 different motors,3 frames, 2 transmissions, a complete body and its a full on resto now.
I understand now why it was always old grey haired guys with the coolest trucks at the car shows.